Chained to Completion
by Sano Ketsueki
Summary: Sakura Haruno finds herself belonging to a clan that is not based off of blood, but by one's spirit. She begins to discover the many lives she has previously lived, and with each one, she belonged to one man. She cannot escape him. She is destined to serve him, to protect him, and to love him. Will she fight her fate though, when she discovers this man may be an enemy of Konoha?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Trapped within a small metal cage, a young woman desperately tried to break out. Covered in dirt, stained in blood, fingers with broken nails shook the thick bars of her prison furiously. Her eyes, which were burning with unshed tears of worry and anger, focused on the shadowed figures that were far out of her reach. One was knelt on the dirt covered ground, tied to a post, and slumping forward. The other stood to the side, arms stretched above him as he held a sword in the sky.

Vaguely, she noted how the sky was a blood red as the sun was setting. Vaguely, she heard the roar of the people that were watching this horrific scene. Vaguely, she was aware of anything, but the one whose life was to be taken away. _Not him, not him. Oh god, please, do not let him die!_ She screamed within her head, while outwardly, she cried out to the tied man.

"Master! Master! Oh, please! Let my master go, and only kill me! Please!" she begged, but her pleads fell on deaf ears. No one would listen to her, another prisoner that was to be punished. "Master!"

_At least let me see his face one last time!_ She cried out silently, and as if he heard her, the slumped figure began to slowly lift his head. The sight of this action shattered her already broken heart, but she did not look away. She instead kept her eyes on him, slipping an arm through the bars of her cell, and stretched it out toward him. However, before her eyes could even meet those of her master's, the other individual swung his sword downward, halting the prisoner's action and effectively decapitating his head.

"_NO!_" She screamed at the top of her lungs, and as she watched his head fall to the ground, she felt something rip out of her chest. The pain was unbearable, causing her to let out another scream, and as darkness quickly came upon her, the last thing she saw were the strands of her pink hair as she fell to the grimy floor of her cell.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Sakura woke with a scream, shooting up and panting heavily. Her emerald eyes frantically jumped from side to side, taking in her surroundings. The bloody sky that she had seen, the roaring crowd, the shadowed man that had his head cut off—it all disappeared into a familiar room. A quiet room where folders filled with papers, along with numerous books, filled and covered the shelves and cabinets pushed up against white walls. In front of her, was a large desk covered in more papers, empty coffee mugs, and a large, worn looking book that had been pushed off to the side. It was open on a page with the words '_The Hanjyuu Clan'_ at the top, followed by small, gracefully written words.

"Sakura-chan…are you alright?" a voice softly spoke up from behind, off to her left.

Letting out a long sigh, while also calming her erratically beating heart, Sakura turned her head to see Shizune looking at her with worried dark brown eyes. The older woman had both of her hands clasped upon her chest, and was slightly breathing hard. It looks like Sakura was not the only one who had a great scare.

"Oh, Shizune-san…" Sakura swallowed, and could feel her cheeks beginning to warm up out of embarrassment. "I—Yes, I'm alright…Sorry, did I scare you?"

Shizune let out a breath of relief, dropping her hands to her sides. "Just a little, Sakura-chan," she said before frowning with displeasure. She even went as far as raising her arms to place both her hands on her hips, and Sakura already knew that a lecture was coming about how she works 'too hard'. "Sakura-chan, don't you think it's time for you to return home? It's almost three in the morning, and you've been at the hospital for three days straight now!"

"Ahh…but there's so much work to be done…" Sakura replied, pathetically trying to defend herself.

"The work will not disappear when you leave, Sakura-chan!" Shizune went on, a scowl now forming on her face. "Honestly, we already have problems with keeping Kakashi-san and Naruto-san _in_ the hospital, but when it comes to you, we can never keep you _out_ of it."

"Shizune-san—"

"You know, this is not healthy for you, Sakura-chan. It is bad enough that Tsunade-sama and I are swamped with work, but it is not like we _choose_ it. With you, however, is a different story."

"Shizune—"

"I even worry sometimes on whether or not you will live a lonely life like our mentor! Already at the age of eighteen, and yet, you do not even seem interested in the opposite gender! You are always cooped up in your office—"

"_Shizune-san_!"

The black haired woman momentarily paused in her rant, and turned around. During her little lecture (that Sakura has become the victim to numerous times), she had begun to pace around in her office, walking from one end to the other as she organized papers. It was always odd to Sakura how her sempai would scold her about overworking, when she, herself, would _work_ while doing so. A bit hypocritical, was it not? Anyways, by the time Sakura had finally caught the attention of her sempai, she had already gathered her things, and was currently standing at the door, wanting to leave. It was one thing for Shizune to complain about her being a workaholic; it was another thing when she complains of her love life, or lack of.

"You're right, I should head home," she said with a small smile.

Shizune returned the smile with one of her own, "Good! Oh, and you will also be taking the day off tomorrow…or, well, technically today! Just for good measure though, tomorrow too."

Sakura's smile promptly left her face, but when she took note of the hardening look in the older woman's eyes, she thought best to not argue. "Alright, Shizune-san…" With that reluctant agreement, Sakura bid her farewell and left the hospital. Outside, the roads of Konoha were completely empty from any life as most, if not all, were already fast asleep in their warm beds at this late hour.

_Maybe Shizune-san is right. I should take a couple of days off…_ Sakura thought as she began walking to her apartment. The trip would take her about twenty minutes, and despite the cold night air, the low temperature soothed her warm skin. Her odd dream had really scared her as it seemed so real, especially the pain at the end of it. It was like something had dug into her chest, grasped her heart, and twisted it while pulling it out.

A small ache appeared in Sakura's chest as she remembered it, and quickly thought over something else. Did her dream possibly mean something? Was she destined to lose someone close to her? _Well…with the line of work I am in, the chance of that happening is always high_. Her lips twisted into a frown at that thought, and decided it was best to not think further as to her dream's 'meaning'. More than likely, it was just her being a worrywart. Considering it in a metaphorical way, the 'shadowed man' probably represented the many victims that she was unable to save in the past.

_Yeah…that's probably right_, she concluded silently with a small sigh, and it was at that moment did the howl of an animal reach her ears. The noise did not only resound in her ears though, but also her heart, as it was filled with pain and longing. Sakura's guard immediately rose, and her hand automatically slipped into the holster strapped to the inside of her right thigh. The moment her fingers grasped the familiar handle of one of her kunai, she spun around, slightly crouched into a defensive position, and now held her bladed weapon before her face. It surprised her to see a lone wolf standing several meters away from her.

It was a rather large wolf, maybe three or four times bigger than an average one, and could probably carry an adult human—or two. With the stars moons' light casting down from above, Sakura took note that although the fur looked black, there was a ting of blue…_probably a midnight blue color?_ What really caught the pink haired woman's attention though, were the animal's glowing silver eyes. It was hypnotizing…and somehow familiar.

"Uhm…" Sakura, very slowly, straightened from her crouched position. She then lowered her kunai, but still grasped it at her side, looking at the wolf warily as she called out to it. There was a possibility that this wolf belonged to a shinobi, but whether it belonged to an enemy or an ally was yet to be determined. _Or maybe it is a wild wolf…?_ Then again, how did a wild animal get into Konoha in the first place?

"Are you lost…?"

The wolf did not react, and only continued to stare at her with its silver eyes.

Sakura could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and even felt a shiver go down her spine from the animal's gaze. Shuffling her feet a little, her tongue nervously slipped out to wet her dry lips before she spoke to the animal again.

"Do you perhaps belong to someone…?" she asked, feeling slightly stupid when the animal again did not give her a response. Assuming that it belonged to an enemy, why would it give her an answer? Then again, even if it was an ally, did the animal even know how to speak human? _However, it could at least do _something_ as a form of a reply…_

And Sakura got her wish.

A soft, low, but obviously female voice echoed in her head and for some reason or another, Sakura just knew that the voice in her head belonged to the wolf.

'_Your master is waiting for you_.'

"You mean shishou?" Sakura questioned, her mind wandering off to her blonde haired teacher. Was the Fifth Hokage starting to use animals for messengers?

It surprised the kunoichi when the wolf tilted her head to the side, and even narrowed her silver eyes. '_How foolish…you only have one master…and he is waiting for you._'

"He…? What are you—?"

"Sakura?"

The young woman spun around, and was surprised to see a particular dark haired man making his way toward her. "Sasuke? What—why are you out so late?"

He raised a brow at her question, but nevertheless, answered once he was standing in front of her. "Out. Training."

"At _this_ hour?" she asked, voice laced with disbelief.

The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders, "There is little that I can do since I am not allowed to go on a mission, or leave the village." He then added, "Why are _you_ out so late?"

"Oh! I—" Sakura turned a little, looking back to see that the wolf had disappeared. Her brow furrowed, _where did it go?_

"Sakura?"

"I…just left the hospital. I'm walking home now," she finally answered, returning her attention to Sasuke as she returned her kunai to her holster. She thought it best to not mention the animal's appearance to her old team mate, and promised herself that she would question her shishou if there was anyone who had a wolf. Although, something in her gut told her that the answer would be a no…and if there was someone who had a wolf, it wasn't the wolf she just 'conversed' with.

"With a kunai out?"

"…you surprised me."

Sasuke only gave a short nod as a response, causing an awkward silence to surround the two shinobi. Sakura chewed on her lip a little, counting to two minutes before decided to break it.

"So…I'm going to go. It was nice—"

"I'll walk you home," Sasuke suddenly deadpanned, cutting her off. It caught Sakura off guard, and she watched in shock as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black pants. When she continued to stare at him though, giving no reply, he let out a huff of air before turning around and walking off. It took almost a minute until Sakura returned her sense, and with a soft laugh, she quickly caught up to him.

The trip between the two was mostly filled with small talk. Sakura questioned what Sasuke has been up to, in which he answered that he has "not done much," seeing as he was still under "village arrest" for another seven months. As an offhand comment, Sakura teased that it was better than the house arrest he had to suffer for the first three months after returning to the village almost two and a half years ago. This resulted in her being glared at by Sasuke, before he questioned how she was doing. Sakura could only smile as she answered that she was fine, and then went into detail about her current research on the Sharingan. One that she began when she was fifteen, due to Kakashi's sharingan getting worse, and now continued for both her old teacher and comrade's eyes. Sasuke listened attentively, nodding here and there, and even putting in a question or two.

Really, six years ago, Sakura would have never imagined herself in this situation. Where she was talking to the man she had been in love with for years as a man she only loved as a brother. As a twelve year old, it was Sakura's dream to marry the last Uchiha in Konoha—just like many other girls in the village. He was the mysterious, dark, brooding boy that had most of the female population chasing after him, despite his cold attitude, because that only made him even more desirable. When Sasuke…_left_ though…everything changed for her…

Sakura did not have time to _dream_ about marrying the guy, because she first had to _bring him back_. So, during the two years after Sasuke's defect to Konoha, Sakura trained. Then the following two years was spent with Naruto and herself chasing after him, and over that time…her feelings for the brooding Uchiha changed. She doesn't know when it technically happened, but one day, she realized that she was no longer chasing after the man she loved in _that way_. Instead, she was chasing after someone who was part of her family, who was her comrade, who was more like a _brother_ than anything else. At some point, Sakura had put Sasuke into the same category as Naruto and Kakashi. She loved him, yes, but she was not _in love_ with him—not anymore.

So, when Naruto brought him back two years ago, a few months after her sixteenth birthday, she gave the boy a good beating before giving him a big hug. She then proceeded to lecture him on how 'irresponsible' he was acting, and should try and depend on his team more. _Yes, even after all those years, Team Seven continued to live on…and Sasuke continued to be a part of it._ Of course, this all happened after Sasuke was healed up. When he returned to Konoha, when Naruto found him, he was in a critical condition. He had tried to kill Orochimaru, but failed in doing so.

Sasuke then proceeded to escape from Orochimaru, but the snake Sanin did not make it easy. Sasuke was extremely lucky when Naruto and Jiraiya came upon him. If he hadn't been found by them… Sakura decided long ago that she would never think about it, because the reality is that he _was_ found.

"Well, here's my place, thanks for walking me, Sasuke," Sakura said when they reached an apartment complex. With a small wave, she began to walk away from her Uchiha team mate, when a hand suddenly grabbing her wrist stopped her. She turned back around to face Sasuke, and took note of the slightly troubled look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" she questioned, confused. She also noticed how he had yet to release her.

"Sakura…do you…do you think you can get the Hokage to end my sentence early?" he asked, the corners of his lips turning down into a displeasured frown.

"I'll try…?" Sakura answered, unsure. "But…why?"

This was a first. _The_ Sasuke Uchiha was asking her for a favor?

His eyes suddenly hardened as his frown turned into a hard straight line. His grip on Sakura's wrist even tightened, and a small wave of killing intent surrounded him. Sakura received her answer before he even spoke.

"My brother," he was now speaking through clenched teeth, and Sakura was trying really hard to not flinch on the grip that only seemed to get stronger on her wrist.

"Sasuke, my wrist…"

"I've wasted so much time in lockdown…my brother has lived his life long enough—longer than I wanted him to. It's about time I kill him."

"OK, Sasuke," Sakura tried to pull herself free, but Sasuke did not take the hint, and still held onto her. "I'll talk to Tsunade-shishou, and request for us to go—"

"What do you mean _us_?" Sasuke practically hissed, "You all will only get in my way—"

It was only out of anger, did Sakura manage to free herself and wretch her wrist out of Sasuke's grasp. He was surprised by the action, and then began to glare at him, in which she frustratingly returned with one of her own. _Two years_, and he still did not rely on his team? _Two years_, and he still did not understand that Team Seven would never _dare_ get in the way of his revenge? _Two years_, and he still did not understand anything!

"Fuck you, Sasuke," she simply said before stomping off to her apartment. The soft '_whoosh_' that filled the air signaled Sasuke's departure, not that she cared. _Stupid Uchiha_, Sakura thought, and then proceeded to cuss him out under her breath. It was safe to say that Sakura went to bed beyond annoyed that night, her dream from earlier forgotten as it was replaced by another.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow! This chapter became a lot longer than I had originally planned. I'm pretty proud of myself, aha. Anyways, because of a certain someone, I am curious as to who you guys think "the one" Sakura is destined to serve and such (as it was stated in the summary) is. The options are endless, so, who do you hope for? Someone from the Akatsuki? Orochimaru? Kabuto? Someone from another shinobi village? Another missing nin? Just who could it be? Hmm? Lol.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_ Sakura lets out a muffled cry as she bites down on her knuckle. _Why did this have to happen to me? _She thought bitterly, trying hard to not vomit. She felt disgusting, beyond dirty. Her clothes was just a simple black dress that hid any stains and revealed her small, dirty, barely healthy body. Her hair was unkempt; her skin was covered with scratches, burns, and teeth marks, and left between her legs from her last customer… How long has she been here? How long has it been since she was betrayed by her no-good father? How…how many men have come into this room…?_

_ The pink haired woman wiped away her tears furiously, and then, with empty emerald eyes, she looked at the single lit candle that was set on a small wooden table in the middle of the room. Its light was hypnotizing, directing all of her attention to it, and away from the many shadows that danced upon the grimy cement walls. For a short moment, she began to get lost in her memories, happier memories, when she was not in this hellhole, but it only lasted for a moment. The low, soft voice that suddenly reached her ears returned her to reality, and with it, the small piece of hope that she had left warmed her chest._

_ "Sakura? _

_ She quickly got up from the small, dirty mat that she used as a bed from the corner, and rushed to the locked door across the room. She crashed into the table in the process, knocking over the candle and putting her room in complete darkness, but she did not care. She pressed both her hands and forehead against the cold, wet, wooden door as she whispered with a pleading tone._

_ "Is that you?"_

_ She was rewarded with a chuckle, though it sounded strained, and empty of any humor. "Yes, my blossom. It is me…" He paused before asking, "Are you alright?"_

_ The question was loaded and pointless to ask, because they both knew that she certainly was _not_ alright. How can she be, when she lived her current life? She desperately wanted to be free…to be with the man she loved…but…_

_ "I am, now that you are here," she said, as she always did…and was on the verge of tears, as she always was._

_ From the other side of the door, she heard a soft thump, followed by a light bang against the thick wood. Dryly, she gives a small smile as she imagined him having fallen to his knees before placing his forehead against the door. There was even a chance that he was crying with how quiet he had become, but that was highly unlikely. The man she had fallen in love with has never cried. He usually has an apathetic face that is broken by frowns, or rare smiles that only she has been blessed to see._

_ "My love…" she whispers aloud._

_ "I'm close, Sakura…" he spoke, his voice so quiet that she had to strain her ears to hear him, but it was enough. She could clearly hear his pain and sorrow, and decided to say nothing. Any words of comfort she could offer would only be lies. _And he despises me lying…

_ "I'm close, Sakura…" he repeats himself, and then added, "Soon…soon…I'll get you out of this hell, and we'll get away from here…far-faraway…"_

_ "Of course," she replies, new tears now falling from her eyes, but they were not of pain and anger. This time, she cried out of desperation and hope, because he was here…and he promised to always be here…with her…_

_ "I love you, Sakura."_

_ She smiles._

_ "I love you too—"_

Sakura awoke by the noise of someone knocking. _Or more like pounding_, she thought as she groggily sat up. Her body felt heavy, while her chest felt empty. Her throat was dry, her eyes were hurting, and her face was dried with—_tears?_ Having raised her hand to rub her eyes, Sakura took note of the dry path on her skin that began at her eyes, and down her face. For a panicked minute, the thought of it being blood came to mind, but after jumping out of bed and rushing out and into her bathroom, Sakura reassured herself that no, it was not blood. Though, her eyes were really red. They were bloodshot, as if…_I have been crying all night…_

Her eyes widened at that thought.

_Was it because of that dream? But that was only a dream… _She thought with a small frown, but before she could think further upon it, a familiar voice echoed through her front door and into her apartment.

"Hey, forehead, I know you're in there! Shizune-san said that she gave you today and tomorrow off! So, open up!"

Emerald eyes rolled at Ino's words before the pinkette quickly washed her face from her dried tears. She sighed dejectedly at her bloodshot eyes, but there was nothing else she could do about them. _Oh well_, Sakura thought as she went to her front door, where Ino was _still_ shouting and pounding. It's not like it was her first time that her eyes were bloodshot due to all the late nights she has pulled. Seeing that she did not return home until a little past three in the morning, it was probably why the reason why her eyes were red _now_.

_Though…the obvious dried tears suggest otherwise…_

"Forehead—"

"Geez, Pig!" Sakura shouted after swinging her door open to glare at her best friend and greatest rival, "What do you want—Hinata-chan? Temari? Tenten?" She raised a single pink brow in question, "What are you all doing here?"

"H-Hello, Sakura-chan," Hinata said with a small smile, standing right beside Ino who huffed out in disbelief. The next thing Sakura knew, she was shoved aside by the Yamanaka girl so that she and the others could enter. However, only she and Temari, who barked a laugh of amusement and gave her a hug before walking in, were the only two out of the four that were aggressive to come in without permission. Both Tenten, who shook her head at their actions with a small smirk, and Hinata stayed at the doorway.

"You two might as well come in too," Sakura said with sigh, but nevertheless smiled as the two dark haired kunoichi came inside before closing the door. She then turned around to see that her friends made themselves quite comfortable rather quickly. Sitting on the blue couch in her living room were Tenten and Hinata. From the sound of someone who was looking through her refrigerator from the kitchen was Temari, and standing before her, blocking the path to both the bedroom and bathroom, was Ino. The last of the four was leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and blue eyes narrowed.

Again, Sakura raised a brow questioningly. "So, is there a reason why you all are here this morning, Ino-pig?"

Ino snorted, "Morning? Forehead-girl, it's already _half past four_, and dare I say it, but you look _worse_ than you already do."

"Oh…" Sakura muttered, scratching the back of her head. _Well, that explains why they're here…kind of…_

"Did you only wake up now, Sakura?" Tenten asked, her dark brown eyes looking at the large oversized, orange shirt and black shorts her friend was wearing. Her hair was also a tangled mess on top of her head, and her face still looked like she was waking up.

Said friend gave a small nod with a smile filled with embarrassment. "Yeah…I was at the hospital for the last three days, and didn't get home until a little past three last night. So…"

"Forehead, forehead, forehead," Ino tsked, and even went as far as wiggling a finger before her. "What are we going to do with you? All work and no play."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sakura waved Ino off dismissively before walking over and falling back onto the couch between Hinata and Tenten. When a strand of her messy pink hair got into her face, she blew at it, and then looked over at the most quiet of the five. "So, Hinata-chan, why are you all here anyways? Not that I don't like your guys' company—well, actually, I would prefer if the Pig wasn't here—"

"Hey!" Ino shouted, marching to the back of the couch to stare down at the pink haired kunoichi. "You should be grateful that I even considered to grace you with my presence!"

Sakura gave a small snort, tilting her head back to look at her, "Yeah, sure…" She then returned her attention to Hinata, "So, anyways…why are you guys here?"

Hinata did not say anything at first, taking the time to take in Sakura's still sleepy face, wondering if she really did not know.

"S-Sakura-chan, do you not remember? Tonight, everyone is gathering together for a little reunion celebration before Temari and her brothers leave tomorrow."

Sakura blinked. "…where and what time is this celebration?"

"It's at that one club that all the shinobi go to…what's the name of it again?" Tenten asked from Sakura's other side.

"It's called 'Drunken Kunai'," Temari answered as she walked into the kitchen, a partially eaten green apple in her hand.

"Oh yeah, I think Naruto mentioned something about that last week," Sakura muttered as she looked through her memories. She couldn't remember exactly what they talked about, but they were at Ichiraku's, and he had said something about some kind of 'get together' or something…

"Mhm…" Ino crossed her arms, "And we're supposed to be there by five."

Sakura's eyes immediately went to the clock hanging on the wall, above the small TV across the living room. _4:40…well, at least I don't have to wear anything fancy, or we would definitely be late… _She thought, taking note of the other girls in their shinobi attire. "I should probably get ready then," she sighed and got up from the couch, stretching her arms up above her head and arching her back a little forward.

"I highly doubt you will look any better than you do now, forehead," Ino deadpanned with a mocking smile, "Nothing can ever help you to conceal that giant forehead of yours."

"Yes, and none of the make-up in the world can cover your pig-ness," Sakura retorted back, smirking in satisfaction when the blonde only snorted in reply. _Victory_, she thought childishly, and then began to make her way to her bedroom. Just as she was about to enter, however, out of plain view from her friends, a voice—_the wolf from last night?_—spoke clearly into her mind.

'_It is time to awaken_.'

Right after those words registered in her mind, Sakura began to feel a weight pressing down on her throat as the back of her right shoulder began to grow hot. Both the weight and heat began to intensify with each second that passed. Sakura clenched her jaws, raising her left hand to grip her right shoulder, and then raising her right hand to press against her throat. Sweat began to form on her forehead, and as her breathing began to shorten into pants, she started to feel dizzy—

"Sakura, is something wrong?"

The heat on her shoulder and the weight on her neck suddenly disappeared, and a long breath of relief left her. _What the hell was that?_ She thought, dropping her left hand to her side, and using the other to wipe off the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead.

"Sakura?"

"Uhh…yeah…I'm fine, Temari," she finally replied after looking back at Temari, who was standing at the other end of the hallway. She couldn't see her other friends, but she did not doubt that they were listening in on the conversation. "I'm still waking up and all…maybe a shower will get me awake."

"OK…" the sand kunoichi said, a brow cocked upwards with suspicion. She said nothing more though, and turned to join the others in the living room, where Ino and Tenten argued on the many ways as to how to get Naruto and Hinata together. Sakura could already imagine how red the Hyuuga girl was…

_What in the world was that?_ Sakura thought as backtracked a few steps in the hallway, and went into the small bathroom on her left side. Again, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, watching as her reflection copied her movements. Very slowly, she raised her left hand, sliding it across her throat, and then grasping the large orange shirt. Shifting a little to her left, she pulled down the shirt to see nothing, but the smooth pale skin on the back of her shoulder.

_Was I imagining things? _She contemplated, frowning. _No…I swear I heard that wolf's voice…_

"Forehead, hurry up in there, or we're going to be late!"

"Yeah, yeah, learn some patience, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted back, letting out a resigned sigh as she went to turn on her shower. _I'll go see Tsunade-shishou bright and early tomorrow…maybe she'll know what's going on._

"It's not my fault that you're as slow as a turtle!"

_For now…I'll just keep quiet about it. I haven't seen everyone in quite some time. There is no reason to ruin the whole thing when _whatever_ is going on can wait for tomorrow._

* * *

_I'm _really _glad I came._

Sakura could not help, but laugh as she noticed how _red_ Naruto was turning. There was no doubt that a dark shade of blush was on Hinata's face, but that has more or less become a normal thing to see on the kunoichi. For the loud blonde shinobi though, that was another story entirely. Along with the fact that Hinata, shy, meek _Hinata_ was practically dancing circles around the guy on the floor. She was really putting those skills the girls had learned in past seduction missions to good use.

Not too far away from them, Ino and Chouji were dancing. Surprisingly, the large Akimichi was keeping up with the Yamanaka girl. Not too much, but_ a lot better_ than Naruto was keeping up with the Hyuuga, and that was definitely saying something. Sakura shook her head in disbelief, and then allowed another laugh to escape her lips when she noticed Neji several seats away from her, near the middle of the bar, with Tenten sitting beside him. He was glaring in Naruto and Hinata's direction, and it was probably because of Tenten's influence, has he not yet marched over to the couple to rip the blonde away from his beloved cousin. _It's amazing how he once looked down on Hinata in the Chunin Exams all those years ago, but is now the _very_ overprotective brother figure in her life._

"Sakura," her name was called out by a low voice, sounding a little muffled from the music filling the room, as someone took a seat beside her. Turning her head, she grinned at Kazekage, Gaara,

"Kazekage-sama, how are you?"

He rolled his jaded eyes, ignoring to answer question as he said, "Stop calling me that, Sakura. I prefer that my closest friends and siblings do not call me by such a title, it degrades the bond I value with them."

She gave him a wide grin, "I'm honored to be considered a close friend, Kazekage—I mean, _Gaara_-san." She quickly corrected herself when the redhead threw an annoyed glare in her direction.

"Just _Gaara_ is fine," he muttered.

Sakura let out a chuckle, "I know, Gaara, I was just teasing you a little."

"Of course you were," he deadpanned, waving over the bartender behind the counter. Sakura took note on how the corners of his lips quirked slightly up, and couldn't help the satisfactory smile that formed on her own lips. Gaara noticed this, but decided to say nothing about it, suspecting that it will open to further teasing in one form or another. So, he decided to take a sip of the cup of tea he had ordered instead.

"Not going to drink sake, Gaara?" Sakura questioned when she saw the light green color in his cup.

"My siblings are drinking more than enough for us," he answered dryly, his eyes directing toward the other end of the bar. Sakura followed his line of sight, and felt another laugh leaving her throat. Gaara was right and wrong, because his brother and sister were drinking _much _more than enough. Temari was currently on the counter of the bar, dancing around and avoiding being grabbed by either the bartenders that were trying to pull her down, or Shikamaru, who was probably cursing a storm about how the woman was 'troublesome'. The Nara was also ignoring Kankurou, who was beside him, doing nothing to help, and trying to take off his pants. The sand shinobi already had his hat and shirt off, and the purple paint he usually had on his face was a smearing mess on his skin. Shino, although he did not seem to really care, was trying to prevent him from being completely naked. Doing absolutely nothing, but trying to catch his breath as he laughed, was Kiba, but not because of Kankurou. Sakura suspected that it was because Lee was practically _naked_ already, keeping a small portion of his modesty with a pair of dark green boxers. Though, it was questionable how long he would have that on before he shouted something about being 'youthful', and then disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor.

"I see that they also got Lee to drink," she snickered before raising her small cup of sake to her lips.

"Just a little," Gaara agreed, nodding his head a little in thought. "But not enough in which he begins to unconsciously use his 'Drunken Fist' style."

"Thank Kami for that," Sakura muttered behind her drink. After two years, in which they all started drinking around the age of sixteen, three broken bars, two destroyed training grounds, and even one ruined apartment (it was about time for Naruto to move in a bigger place anyways), Lee finally managed to gain a small amount of tolerance towards alcohol. Small being that he still got insanely drunk, but it wasn't to the point where he began to fight anything or anyone.

"So, why are you not with the others?" Gaara questioned with a raised brow, taking a quick glimpse at the door that was near them. "You are awfully close to the exit…are you planning on leaving without notice?"

"Hardly," Sakura smirked, drinking the rest of her sake in one go before returning the now empty cup to the counter. A bartender offered to refill it, but she shook her head, and then returned her attention to the village leader beside her. "I want to be able to make a clean getaway once things get out of hand."

"Ahh…" Gaara said. A smirk of his own appeared on his lips, "Very insightful."

It was at that point, did the 'declaration of youth' fill the air, the voice easily carrying over the loud music, which was suddenly turned off. A following crash resounded in the air as the bar vibrated slightly. Both Sakura and Gaara's head snapped toward the direction of the dance floor, where a small crater filled with broken wood and rubble, along with one body, appeared in the middle. Said body belonged to Sasuke Uchiha, who got up, face angry and red.

_Wait, why is his face red? I doubt it's because he's angry_, Sakura thought, recalling the many moments when the Uchiha man has certainly been _pissed_ beyond reason when it concerned his older brother, but he has never actually turned _red_ like he is now.

Without knowing, Sakura had actually spoken aloud her first though, and Gaara brought it upon himself to answer her question. "It is probably due to all the alcohol he continued to consume after Naruto joined Hinata-san on the dance floor."

"Are you saying that Sasuke is _drunk_?" Sakura questioned with disbelief.

"I would think so."

Before Sasuke could attack Lee, who was now standing on the counter of the bar a few feet away from where Sakura and Gaara sat—_who gave Lee more sake!?—_Naruto appeared between the two, halting Sasuke in his steps. The latter growled at the blonde to move out of the way, but when he did not, Sasuke decided to attack him instead. Kiba was quick to get involved after Sasuke tackled Naruto to the floor, and tried to pull the black haired shinobi off. Unfortunately, Sasuke reacted by punching the dog-nin, and before anyone knew it, Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, and Lee (who came out of nowhere and joined) were having a full out brawl.

Sakura sighed, noticing how many of the different shinobi that filled "Drunken Kunai" were preparing to intervene. _So much for my plan of escape_, the pinkette muttered, getting up from her seat. Gaara followed the action, and the two, along with their other friends, moved to put the unnecessary fighting to a halt before it got worse.

* * *

Sakura let out a pained groan as she entered her apartment at midnight that night. She was covered with light scratches and bruises, and her clothes were torn in a few places. _I think that's the worse bar fight I have ever experienced_, she grumbled in her mind, taking her sandals off before turning the lights on.

The "Drunken Kunai" was now destroyed, and Tsunade was beyond pissed.

Really, years from now, it'll be a great story to recall on and laugh about, but at the moment, Sakura was _really-really_ annoyed. _We were so close too!_ She thought, remembering how she and Gaara managed to pin Sasuke and Naruto to the floor. Neji and Tenten managed to do the same with Lee, and Shino and Hinata with Kiba. At that point, the only destruction at the bar was the small crater that Sasuke had created, and a few broken tables (_Seven in all if I counted correctly_). Ino, Chouji, and Temari—who had sobered up—were eyeing the pinned boys carefully, watching to see if any of the others needed assistance. Shikamaru was busy talking to the manager, and the ANBU operatives that had been called in. This left a _still drunk_ Kankurou forgotten.

No one remembered, or even noticed him until it was too late. His drunk-ass had stumbled across the floor, and before Temari could grab him, he had _crashed_ into Tenten and Neji. This resulted in their grip on Lee loosening enough for the 'beast' to escape, and get the others (Naruto, Sasuke, and Kiba) free by attacking those that pinned them down, uncaring if he ended up harming other shinobi, whether they were from Konoha or not, as he did so. In retaliation, because they were already mad at the commotion to begin with, some of them had tried to attack Lee with _freaking weapons_. Tenten, recognized as a weapon mistress throughout the shinobi nation, quickly came to his defense, and so the shinobi attacking Lee attacked her as well. Neji was then forced to join the fight, because his team was in danger, which pulled Hinata in, because she decided to help her cousin-brother figure.

With their female comrade fighting, Kiba and Shino joined too. Naruto did as well, because Hinata _is_ his girlfriend after all, and they have been dating for almost a year now. Of course, because of the loud blonde, Sasuke decided to join his (unspoken) best friend, and because Naruto and Sasuke were a part of _her _team, Sakura entered the fight out of loyalty to them. _Then_ when Kankurou—who was still freaking drunk (_what the hell!_)—was almost attacked, Temari quickly came to his rescue. Gaara was then involved, because of his siblings, and with a comment about how "troublesome" it all was, Shikamaru decided it would be best to join his long-distance girlfriend for two and a half years. With a simple shrug of her shoulders, Ino joined with Chouji on her hells.

More and more shinobi continued to get involved in the brawl, and the two ANBU operatives that were called in were definitely not enough to handle the situation, and while one was fighting, the other called for back-up. Everything was a chaotic mess until the Hokage came, _fuming_ with barely suppressed anger. Having caught sight of her, Gaara transported to her side, and once getting her permission, he trapped many shinobi with his sand. Tsunade took care of the rest by punching the ground, cracking it and capturing the attention of her subordinates and foreign shinobi alike.

_And now my pay for the next two months has been cut in half_, Sakura sighed, walking into the living. _It's better than Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, and Lee though, who aren't getting pay at all for the next three months_. She was about to head into the kitchen, when something caught her attention. Body now stiff, Sakura slowly turned to see the wolf from the night before standing in the middle of her living room.

"W-What are _you_ doing here?" Sakura questioned suspiciously, her hands twitching at her sides for the weapons hidden upon her person.

What seemed to be a snort, escaped the wolf as the wolf slowly made its way around the couch in the living room. Sakura watched it warily as it came to stop right before her, and sat down with its head raised high.

'_You should have awakened two years ago, but because of your situation…it is understandable. You have kept your master waiting long enough though._'

Once the last word was said in Sakura's mind, an incredible pain exploded from her right shoulder as something tightened around her neck. She gasped, flaring her chakra, but before she could do anything else, she could feel her consciousness quickly slipping away. She fell to her knees, desperately trying to stay awake, but her attempts proved to be futile. The last thing she saw before her world went dark, and she fell to the floor, was the pair of silver eyes that watched her intensely.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura noted how the wolf's eyes looked a little sad, _but why_?


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lying on top of a single bed was the midnight wolf that has approached Sakura two times already. She laid at the edge of the bed, between the wall and a man that was sitting up. Propped up against the headboard, he used the light from the lit candles set on a tiny bedside table to read a book. The human and animal said nothing, comfortable in their silence, but just as the wolf began to doze off did the man decide to finally speak.

"What is her current status?" he questioned softly, closing the book in his hand.

The wolf hummed for a moment before her voice filled his head. '_She is awakening, but how much she will awaken completely—how much she will allow herself to remember everything is all up to her._'

"Ahh…" came the man's quiet reply, and he set his book down on the table. "We shall depart tomorrow morning."

'_Yes, master_.'

The candles were then blown out, swallowing both master and wolf in complete darkness.

* * *

_A seven year old Sakura shrilled with laughter as she played on a swing. She could hear the branch above her head creak slightly every time she went up, and then down. The vast lake before her was sparking from the sun's light beaming down from the clear blue sky. The animals in the forest around her made all sorts of noises that were music to her ears, but nothing could beat the soft press of hands that would push her forward every time she fell back down._

_ Today was one of the best days of her life!_

_ "Higher, Nii-san! Push me higher!" she shouted happily._

_ For the first time in a long time, her older brother was playing with her. He had chosen her over his work. Work that he was always so busy doing ever since their parents passed away a year ago. More times than not, he would be cooped up in the basement of their house, only coming up to eat, use the bathroom, and to check up on his little sister to make sure she was doing nothing dangerous. Sakura was even pretty sure that her older brother _slept_ in what he called his 'workshop' more than he slept in his own bed!_

_ Her older brother was always so busy…but Sakura understood. _Nii-san explained that if he wanted to keep me, then he would have to work hard…and I never want to part from Nii-san!

_ "Are you sure, Imouto? You're already so high up," the voice of her sixteen year old brother reached her ears, sounding bored, but Sakura was use to this. Besides, her brother once said that he was "a man of action, not words" before, and she couldn't agree more._

_ "What if you fall?"_

_ Sakura let out a soft giggle, a wide grin adorning her face. "Don't worry, Nii-san! I already know that you will always be there to if I fall!"_

_ There was a long of silence before her brother replied, and she could hear a smile in the words he spoke._

_ "Yeah, you're right. I'll always be here for you, Sakura-chan," he said as he gave one hard push._

It was at that moment, did everything change. The swing Sakura was sitting on suddenly disappeared, and she found herself falling. The forest that she was in dispersed into a white fog, and she screamed for her—_I don't have a brother_, Sakura thought, cutting her scream off. She was still falling, and as she fell, she turned from a seven year old child to her eighteen her old self. Her short pink hair lengthened, until it reached her shoulder blades. Her small body grew into one that was lean with muscles, and covered with a few scars. The light green dress she had on turned into the dark green vest she had grown accustomed to wearing ever since her promotion to Jounin rank last year. It was unzipped to reveal the dark red tank top she wore underneath, and with it, she wore tight black capri shorts and the standard shinobi sandals in black.

Once she was changed, she stopped falling, but her feet never touched solid ground. She was now floating in a white fog, unable to see or hear anything.

"Where am I?" Sakura muttered, twisting and turning her body as she continued to try and find something—anything.

"_You're in your head, I think_," someone spoke, their voice echoing from all directions.

"Who's there?" Sakura shouted as she strained her eyes to see the speaker.

"_Relax, girl, it's just me._"

The fog before Sakura suddenly split apart, allowing her to see…herself. "Inner?" she asked incredulously, "W-What—I thought you were gone!"

"_Ah, did you perhaps miss me?_" Inner Sakura purred, a smirk playing on her face.

Sakura shook her head, but said nothing in reply as she took in her inner personality. It was around the time Sasuke had returned, did 'Inner' suddenly disappear. It was a bit odd at first. There was…a strange kind of silence in her head when 'Inner' was not making any crude or threatening comments, and no matter how much Sakura had called out to her, she did not reply. Sakura had assumed that maybe, just maybe, she had reabsorbed her other personality when she accepted not only her violent side of herself, but that she was not _in_ love with Sasuke anymore. Everything she did, everything she worked for, everything she _trained for_, was not for her love for Sasuke; a love that she had prioritized when she was much-much younger. It was all for herself.

Inner Sakura looked exactly like Sakura, but instead of peach colored skin, emerald eyes, and pink hair, Inner Sakura was all black and outlined by white. There was also the fact that she had the kanji for 'Inner Sakura' printed on her forehead, along with…

Sakura stared.

"_What is it?_" Inner Sakura questioned, raising a brow in curiosity.

It took a few more seconds, until Sakura found her voice.

"Are those _ears_ on your head?" she asked, and as she lowered her eyes, she added, "Why do you have a _tail_?"

* * *

"I don't know why," Tsunade said with a soft sigh, honey brown eyes landing on a sleeping Sakura. The kunoichi lay unmoving in the hospital bed. Her face void of any emotion, and her pink hair looking ridiculously brighter as it splayed on a white pillow.

"What do you mean you don't know why, baa-chan?" Naruto asked loudly, his blue eyes frantically going from his Hokage to his sleeping comrade, and then back to the Hokage. "You're the best in healing, right? Why can't you heal Sakura-chan?"

"Listen, brat," she growled, turning around to glare at the blonde haired male. Though, she didn't seem very threatening by the worrying frown on her face. It was the same for Naruto, as well as the other Rookie Nine, plus Temari, who had chosen to stay behind. Kankurou and Gaara had to leave, seeing as the latter was the Kazekage, and there were still shinobi in the village that were mad at Kankurou, so it was best he left too. The two Suna shinobi had gone to see Sakura before departing however, wishing her sleeping form to get better soon. Sai and Kakashi were also here, but with one still struggling to express emotions, and the other wearing a mask, well, their presence signified their worry. Shizune was here earlier, but she had been called out by another nurse not too long ago. They had all felt Sakura's chakra flare last night (they were just _that _attuned with one another), and after bringing her to the hospital when they found her unconscious, they haven't stopped thinking about her since. It especially did not help when she did not awake the following morning…or afternoon…and with it almost being nine, it did not look like she was going to wake up for the night either.

"Physically, she seems to be fine, but mentally? I hardly can do anything for a patient if they are not awake."

Naruto's shoulders slumped, and Hinata, who was standing beside him, placed a hand on his right one. He looked over at his girlfriend for the comforting notion, and noticed her small, but wavering smile.

"I'm sure Sakura will be alright, she is strong, Naruto," Hinata stated with confidence. Naruto grinned, though it was not as wide as it usually was, in reply, but before he could say anything, Sai pointed out something.

"Hokage-sama, what did you mean when you said that physically, she _seems_ to be fine?" he dully noted, but the small twitch of his fingers that most of the shinobi in the room did not notice (except, Kakashi, Tsunade, Neji, Sasuke and Shikamaru), was a sign of his anxiety.

The air around them seemed to only grow heavier with tension when they understood the pale artist's words. It was only broken by the soft taps of Tsunade's heels as she walked around Sakura's bed. Naruto, Hinata, Sai, and Ino were forced to take a few steps back to make space for Tsunade when she went to stand on Sakura's right side. Everyone then watched as she slightly turned the younger woman over, and pulled down the strap of her tank top—her Jounin vest had been removed when she was checked in, and was currently being held by Ino—revealing what looked to be a tattoo of a panther marring Sakura's skin on her right shoulder.

The panther was two to three inches big, its body pointed downwards and curving slightly into a half circle, so that its head was partially facing Sakura's spine. The mouth of the animal was drawn open, as if it was growling, and by the crouching position, it looked ready to attack. The strangest thing about the tattoo though, was that while the body was outlined with a dark red color, it was only filled in from the top of the tail to its hind legs with the same color.

"_What the hell is that_?" Ino blurted out, her blue eyes widening at the image on Sakura's shoulder.

"Not a bad tattoo," Kiba commented with a raised brow, a smirk threatening to appear on his lips. "She should get her money back though; it's not even filled in completely."

"It's not your average tattoo, Kiba," Shikamaru commented roughly, his dark brown eyes analyzing the mark. Kakashi nodded in agreement from the Nara's right, his sharingan revealed.

All amusement left the Inuzuka's face. "What—?"

"Shikamaru is right," Neji cut in, the veins around his pale eyes bulging as he activated his byakugan. "A large portion of her chakra is flowing into it, leaving only enough to keep her alive."

"Is that true?" Naruto asked dryly, looking over at Hinata, and then Sasuke. The younger Hyuuga took a moment to activate her byakugan, while Sasuke activated his sharingan, and upon seeing what Neji described, nodded.

"So then…what happens once the panther is filled up?" Chouji questioned softly.

No one could give an answer.

* * *

"_Can you stop that?_" Inner Sakura growled as she slapped (Outer) Sakura's hand away from the dark red, furry ears on the top of her head.

"Sorry," Sakura mumbled as she returned her hand to her side, "I was just making sure it was…well, _real_."

"_I already said it was!_"

"But you haven't said why you have them in the first place," she pointed out.

"_Because I _don't know_, geez!_"

"Aren't you a little freaked out about having ears and a tail?"

The tail in question swung from side to side as Inner considered Sakura's question. She then shrugged, "_I don't know, it seems kind of normal._"

"There is nothing normal about having cat ears or a tail!" Sakura declared, a bit annoyed by her other personality's lack of reaction to the whole situation. There was obviously something wrong here!

"_I don't see why it matters,_"Inner said nonchalantly, "_As long as you're not sporting ears and a tail on the outside, all your dirty little secrets is nice and safe._"

Sakura blinked as she tried to understand her Inner's words, and the moment she did, a look of pure anger and disgust appeared on her face.

"You seriously cannot believe that the cat ears and tail is because of _me_!"

"_Well, I _am_ a part of you_," she replied, smirking quite evilly, "_…so maybe, instead of representing the violent side of you that you now openly express—great job on threatening to castrate that male nurse who kept trying to hit on you last week by the way._"

"Thanks…" Sakura said wryly before Inner continued.

"_…I now represent your hidden desires. You know, seeing as you haven't been getting any action lately_."

Sakura turned red at her statement as she asked, "And how does that—pray tell—would have anything to do with you being a cat?"

"_Oh, I don't know…_" Inner's voice lowered as she purred out, "_Maybe I just want a man who would play with me, and satisfy _all_ of my needs._"

"_Inner_!"

Inner Sakura burst into laughter, bending forward to grab her stomach. "_Oh my god, you should have seen your face!_" She managed to gasp out.

If it was possible, Sakura turned even redder, the color reaching from her cheeks up to the roots of her hair. "Inner, would you cut it out!? If you're not going to be serious about how _wrong_ it is for you to have ears and a tail, can you at least tell me where we are, and how I can get out?"

"_Calm down, I was just having a little fun_," Inner Sakura said, a few more giggles escaping her lips. Sakura only glared at her until she finally managed to stop, and was surprised when she suddenly took a serious expression, all signs of humor gone.

"_I actually don't know where we are. At first, I thought we were in your mind, because that's where _I_ exist, but I don't know…_" her eyes looked around them, noting the white fog that continued to surround them. "_This doesn't feel like your mindscape…_"

"That doesn't make sense," Sakura sighed, "Where could I possibly be then?"

Before her other personality could give an answer, everything around Sakura was suddenly wiped away, turning into a different scenery altogether. Instead of floating, Sakura was now standing on solid ground. The fog was replaced by a line of trees and rocks. Even Inner Sakura disappeared, being replaced by dozens of men who each held a different weapon, the most dangerous looking to be a sword, and the least dangerous being a wooden club. Sakura also noted that while some were wearing civilian clothing, those that were standing at the very front were wearing black armor that Sakura vaguely compared to those a samurai may wear in the old days. Then, standing in front of them, was a single man wearing the same armor. The only difference on his though, was the golden star badge.

_He's probably in charge of these people_, Sakura concluded. She was proven right when he began was the one to speak.

"Move aside, demon! We only want the man behind you!" he shouted, raising his sword before him, and pointing it forward. It came an inch close to touching Sakura's chest. "You are already lying in death's bed! What good is it for you to protect such a despicable man like _him_!?"

Sakura opened her mouth to ask what the hell he was talking about when a growl ripped through the air from behind her. Emerald eyes widening, she spun around to see a dark red panther standing a few feet away from her. It was as big as the wolf that appeared before Sakura, and just as that animal's silver eyes were hypnotizing, so were this animal's dark green ones. The feline creature was crouched in a defensive position with its tail raised proudly high, but by the amount of blood that stained the ground underneath its paw and how the animal looked to be leaning on its left side, it was safe to assume that it was injured fairly badly.

The animal stood in front of a cliff, and behind it, close to the edge, Sakura could see a person. She could hardly tell if this person was a man or woman, because of all the blood that stained the body and clothes that were torn apart. Plus, the panther positioned itself to where the face of the injured stranger was blocked. The sudden instinct to help the injured overwhelmed Sakura, but she found that she could not move from her spot between the injured panther and the crowd of armed people. Completely confused by this fact, and then proceeding to try and free herself, Sakura was surprised when the panther began to speak.

"What obvious lies are you speaking?" it growled out, causing what was obviously a female's voice to sound rough and deep. "The only despicable man I see is the one standing before me. Leave or I shall _kill you_!"

"You have brought this fate upon yourself, demon!" the man behind Sakura stated before his voice was overcome by the roaring crowd that began to move forward.

"_I will not allow you to touch my master_!" the animal roared before leaping forward, and right at Sakura.

A gasp couldn't even leave the kunoichi's lips before a blinding white light consumed her, and she swore that from a distance, she heard the howling of a wolf.

* * *

Within a silent room, where white walls were momentarily painted with a yellowish orange color by the setting sun's light that streamed through the window, the soft creaking of springs filled the air. Kakashi, who had taken to sitting at the windowsill with his trusty orange book in hand almost an hour ago, turned to see Sakura sitting up in her bed. Not even a second later, he was standing beside her, hands placed on her shoulders. Sluggishly, she lifted her head, so that her emerald eyes met his single onyx one.

"Sakura, are you alright?" he questioned, his voice soft with confusion and concern.

"Kakashi…" she muttered hoarsely.

"Wait one moment."

The silver haired Jounin straightened his form, and then disappeared into the attached bathroom. He quickly returned with a cup of water in hand, and held it out to her. She grabbed it tentatively with bother of her hands, offering a small smile in thanks, before she took a few sips, and then proceeded to drink the rest of it in gulps. The clear liquid soothed her dry throat greatly, and once done, Kakashi took the now empty cup and placed it on the bedside table.

"So, Sakura, how are you feeling?" he asked as he turned to face her.

Sakura gave him a tired smile, "I feel as if I slept a little too much…"

Kakashi nodded his head. "That's understandable. Two days have already passed since you were found unconscious in your apartment."

Emerald eyes widened. _I've been unconscious for two days?_

"You're awake now though, and that's all that matters," he said, reaching over to ruffle her bedhead hair, and then added softly, "We were a bit worried that it would be much longer until you woke."

Sakura raised a brow, but before she could ask what he meant, Kakashi stated that he would go get Tsunade, and was out the door. He never noticed the red leather collar that appeared around Sakura's neck with a white golden chain that fell to the floor, and disappeared out of the window. Nor did Sakura, and as she turned to look at the setting sun through the opened window, it disappeared from sight.

* * *

Somewhere, in a dark room lit only by the flame of a single candle, a shadowed figure was hunched over a large wooden desk. A single hand seemed to fly across the surface of a piece of paper, leaving gracefully, black, cursive words in its wake. In mid-sentence, however, the hand paused when a red cuff appeared on the wrist. There was a white golden chain attached to it, but as soon as he saw it, it vanished before his eyes.

"Interesting…" the shadowed figure commented before continuing to write.

* * *

A large, dark grey cobra snake came to a halt upon wrapping itself around a crying man who begged for mercy. The man himself was large, reaching to at least six feet, and bulky with muscles. The snake, however, was around four times longer in length and about twice the man's height in width. With glowing orange amber eyes, it raised its head to look up at the darkening sky.

'**My, my, my…it took her quite a while…**' it thought before it continued to tighten its hold on its prey. The reptile's tongue flickered out in excitement at the sound of bones breaking mixed with the man's painful screaming.

* * *

A large hawk soared lazily through the sky. With its body around twelve feet long, and a wingspan around thirteen feet, the animal was at least six times larger than nature allowed it. It had black feathers that turned red at the tips, but its underbelly took a peach pink color. Its eyes blazed a bright green, which only seemed to glow brighter as they narrowed. With a strong flap of its wing, the animal took a sharp turn to the right as it tilted slightly to the side. From its back, a yelp of surprise filled the air.

"Hey! What are you doing?" a deep voice shouted, revealing the being on the hawk's back to be a human male.

'Another has awoken…' a light, female voice spoke, filling the man's head. 'This should be the last of us.'

* * *

High up in the mountains, hundreds of miles and miles away from Konoha, were two magnificent beasts. One was a lion, standing on higher ground than the other animal. Its body was around nineteen feet long, three times larger than an average lion, with a tail around nine feet. The color of its fur was a dark coal color, which only enhanced the animal's blood red eyes.

Perched on a rock a few feet below the lion, was an eagle with reddish brown feathers. Five times larger than its brethren, the animal stood to fifteen feet in height, and upon taking flight, it revealed its wingspan at around eighteen feet. With dark purple eyes that glowed, it turned its head in the direction of Konoha.

'_So it finally begins…_' the eagle thought, its deep voice resounding in the lion's head.

The black lion grumbled in response, its rough, and get smooth low voice filling the eagle's head. '_**The plan had to come to a halt with this new development… We shall take care of this matter quickly. Now go, and find the other. I will go and inform our masters of this news.**_'

The eagle gave a shrill cry in response before it flew away.

* * *

Up within the trees, a familiar midnight blue wolf came to a stop upon a think branch. With its body of fifteen feet extended by an eleven foot tail, it arched slightly forward and closed its silver eyes to release a long howl. Once the animal finished, her master, who stood on a branch a few feet higher, asked, "What is it?"

'_It's done. She's awake._'

"I see…" the man tilted his hooded head back, looking at the yellowish orange sky that continued to darken. Then, with a barely audible sigh, he faced forward and slightly crouched down, preparing to jump to the next branch. "Then we shall quicken our pace to meet a dear friend."

He moved in a blur, his wolf easily keeping up from below him.

* * *

**A/N:** Ooooo, it's starting to get good... Am I the only one looking forward to the following chapters? Hopefully this only enhanced the mystery of the story. So, I have a question, other than the wolf and hawk (they are OCs), who do you think each animal was? And who do you think each animal's "master" are?

Well then, until next chapter!


End file.
